180 BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 



passages and engaged portion of the foal freely lubricated with lard, 

 the limbs may be crossed over each other and the head, and a move- 

 ment of rotation effected in the fetus until its face and back are turned 

 up toward the croup of the mother; then parturition becomes natural. 



BACK OF TlIK FOAL TUUNEI) TO THE FLOOR OF THE PELVIS. 



In a roomy marc this is not an insuperable obstacle to parturition, 

 yet it may seriously impede it, hy reason of the curvature of the body 

 of the foal being opposite to that of the passages, and the head and 

 withers being liable to arrest against the border of the pelvis. Lubri- 

 cation of the passage with lard and traction of the limbs and head will 

 usually suffice with or without the turning of the mare on her back. 



In obstinate cases two other resorts are open: (1) To turn the foal, 

 pushing back the fore parts and bringing up the hind so as to make 

 a posterior presentation, and (2) the amputaticn of the fore limbs, 

 after which extraction will usually be easy. 



illNI) niESENTATIOX WITH LE(; TiEXT AT HOCK. 



In this form the quarters of the foal with the hind legs bent up 

 beneath them present, but can not advance through the pelvis b}^ 

 reason of their bulk. (Plate XI, fig. 3.) The oiled hand introduced 

 can recognize the outline of the buttocks, with the tail and anus in the 

 center and the sharp points of the hocks beneath. First pass a rope 

 around each limb at the hock, then with hand or repeller push the 

 buttocks backward and upward, until the feet can be brought up into 

 the passages. The great length of the shank and pastern in the foal 

 is a serious obstacle to this, and in all cases the foot should be pro- 

 tected in the palm of the hand while being brought up over the brim 

 of the pelvis. Otherwise the womb ma}' be torn. When the pains 

 are too violent and constant to allow effective manipulation, some 

 respite may be obtained by the use of chloroform or morphia, and l)y 

 turning the mare on her back, but too often the operator fails and the 

 foal must be sacrificed. Two courses are still open: First, to cut 

 through the cords behind and above the hock and extend the upper 

 part of the liml), leaving the hock bent, and extract in this way, and, 

 second, to amputate the hind limbs at the hip joint and remove them 

 separately, after which the bod}- may V)c extracted. 



HIND PRESENTATION WITH LE(JS liENT FORWARD FROM THE HIP. 



This is merely an aggregated form of the presentation last described. 

 (Plate XHI, iig. 1.) If the mare is roomy, a rope may be passed 

 around each thigh and the body pushed upward and forward, so as to 

 bring the hocks and heels upward. If this can be accomplished, nooses 

 are placed on the limb farther and farther down until the fetlock is 



